a. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to a device for storing and vaporizing liquid media.
b. Background Art
Electronic cigarettes are a popular alternative to traditional smoking articles that burn tobacco products to generate mainstream smoke for inhalation. Unlike traditional tobacco-based smoking articles, electronic cigarettes generate an aerosol-based vapor for inhalation, which can generally emulate mainstream smoke of traditional tobacco based smoking articles. However, it is generally recognized that aerosol-based vapor generated by electronic cigarettes may not deliver the same “quality” of experience as traditional smoking articles.
Generally, a porous material can store the liquid media, which can be drawn to an atomizer, such as a heated coil. Upon contact between the liquid media and the heated coil, the liquid media can be atomized to form a vapor that is inhaled by the user. As liquid media stored in the porous material is used up, liquid media that is stored within a close proximity to the atomizer can be wicked from the porous media. In contrast, liquid media stored in the porous material at a further proximity to the atomizer may not be wicked to the atomizer because the liquid media has to travel a further distance through the porous media. As a result, the amount of liquid media wicked to the atomizer may decrease even when additional liquid media is stored in the porous media. This can cause the user to experience a drop-off in the “quality” of their experience, because less vapor is produced by the atomizer. This can give the user an impression that the porous material has been depleted of remaining liquid, causing the user to discard the porous material when some amount of liquid media remains.